Be Comfortable, being uncomfortable?

Quote: If you can out last that discomfort, I guarantee you baby; on the other side of it is success!!

By Eric Thomas

We are all creatures of habit. Especially in today’s day and age when everything is at our fingertips. Instant gratification, convenience, information etc. The one thing that is most difficult for a lot of us, including myself, is change. I decided this year to “change” my pre-shot routine. At first, I was like “this is easy”. I was practicing on the range and it felt so good. My first round out, with the new routine, I played great. The second and third not so much. The level of discomfort become more challenging, which then made it easier to go back to my old habits and routine. That level of discomfort kept creeping in and I didn’t like it so I settled back into my old ways.

Many students come to me every day to get better, that is why you take lessons. However, more often than not, I here, but it feels so uncomfortable and my response is, it should. If we aren’t feeling uncomfortable then we are not learning. It is very easy to overcome the level of discomfort on the range, but when we step out on the course it is a totally different scenario. So now what?

My favorite quote is “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar” To truly make changes in our lives and with our game, it is not necessarily about how talented, strong or motivated we may be, it is about having the courage to really commit. It is challenging, for anyone, to step out of their comfort zone and truly stick to something new and different. If we really want to take our game or our lives to the next level we MUST learn how to surrender to the discomfort.

One way to do this is through the practice of yoga. Yoga not only makes us strong, flexible and humble, it can also push us up against our edge. You know that place, we have all been there many times, not only in life but during a round as well. What do you choose to do when you get there? Walk away, ignore it, and go back to old habits, more than likely, why because it’s comfortable.

Think of the times on the course when you thought to yourself, wow that felt great but yet so uncomfortable at the same time. That is your edge, the place where change begins. We bump up against it often but yet so afraid to stick with it. When you practice yoga, physical and mental, we are put into positions that do feel uncomfortable, not in a painful way but in a way the pushes us. The edge is where the learning and transformation starts. It is that place of discomfort, if we settle in and surrender it will begin to feel more natural.

Life is change in motion! We, as humans, are constantly changing. Our game, our bodies, our minds etc. Practicing being in the space of discomfort, acknowledging it’s there, surrendering to your edge is where transformation and change begins! The more we do this, like anything, the easier it becomes. Although I want to totally dump my new routine, I am going to continue playing with the edge of discomfort, because I know deep down inside it is exactly what I need!